Page 93 of Heart of a Witch
The next part was ensuring he lost his mind. Elijah had told me of something that scared the hunter, of his sexual repression and how he’d hurt himself when he felt anything of that kind. I knew what I needed to put the final nail in his coffin.
I walked out of the Shaw mansion and waited a few minutes to be sure. He didn’t come after me, which was a good sign—and proof I was right. He wasn’t going to run, torches blazing, when his sons could be in danger.
I made my way through the snow, to the edge of the woods and down through the narrowing trees and bare branches until I saw it: the haunted house. It really was the perfect place to perform dark magic, and it would be one of my last rituals. I hoped Cas’s potions could hold me together until this was done.
***
The succubus demon appeared within my summoning circle. Her seductive stare landed on mine, her painted lips hooked into a smile. “Did you want to play?”
“No.” I placed a hand on my hip, matching her smile. “I’ve summoned you to play with someone else.”
“It doesn’t work that way, witch.” She stepped forward, her smoky-gray eyes widening. “Unless you want to divulge in our joint pleasure, then you may send me back.”
“I know what you want.” I looked her up and down. Her curvaceous figure was bronzed under the candlelight. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. They appeared to each person based on what attracted them. I wondered how she would look to Damian, and what his desire was. “You want freedom, and I can help with that.”
A flicker of hesitance crossed her expression. “If I did want that, how would you do it?”
“I’m going to give you the body of another.”
“Ohh.” She grinned, her fangs barely showing between her lips. “You’re a dark magic witch.”
“I am, and I’m willing to do anything to get what I want.”
The glint in my eyes must have told her I was serious, because she nodded. “Who am I seducing?”
“His name is Damian Shaw.”
She scoffed. “Even among us lesser demons, his name is whispered in the underworld. Many of my brothers and sisters haven’t returned because of him.”
“Then see this as the perfect revenge.”
She shook her head. “He will trap my soul like he’s done to my siblings. I can’t help you.”
I bit the inside of my bottom lip and glanced at the ceiling. “What if I could promise you even if he did trap you, I would get you out? What if I swear it?”
“A blood bond?” Her gaze snapped to my fingers. “You must be desperate.”
My expression hardened. “As I said, I’ll do anything to get what I want.”
She arched a blonde eyebrow. “Which is?”
I paused for a moment. “Revenge.”
“Ah, the second-best motivator.”
“Second?”
“To love.”
“Then I suppose I’m doing it for both those reasons.”
She moved to the edge of the circle, mere inches from me. I could still smell the sulfur lingering on her clothes. “I’ll assume he killed your lover.”
Chills ran goose bumps along my arms. “Worse. He killed my sister.”
“Now that is a motivator.”
“Then he tore apart my family, chased us from our home, and he also murdered my cousin.”
